Eight New Sister Sites to Göbekli Tepe Have Been Identified, Making for 20 Sites in the 12,000-Year-Old Megalithic Network

Eight new archaeological sites that appear to be connected to the deeply ancient sites of Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe have been identified by archaeologists, potentially expanding the 12,000-year-old megalithic network to no less than 20 known sites.

News of the new sites was announced by Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy during a press briefing at the Türkiye Culture Route Festival in Bursa; although the locations of the newly-identified sites have not been disclosed, Ersoy stated that the pace of excavation is expected to increase.

“These new mounds have not yet been excavated, and we have kept their names confidential,” Ersoy said. “Currently, we are uncovering 12 mounds, but this number will rise to twenty over a 100-kilometer area. We have yet to start digging the additional eight mounds, and we will announce their names as we progress.”

Since its introduction to the public over a decade ago, Göbekli Tepe and its sister sites have radically altered our view of human history, with the ancient sites having been built thousands of years before neolithic cultures were considered even capable of doing so.

“Archaeologists’ perspectives on history have shifted,” Ersoy pointed out. “Currently, 32 universities and academic institutions are supporting the research – 10 of these are local, and 22 are international. We anticipate a significant breakthrough in Southeastern Türkiye.” The minister also addressed changes that have been made regarding how long each site is investigated.

“We are not excavating quickly but intensively,” Ersoy explained. “Previously, excavation sites were worked on for only 45 to 60 days before being abandoned. We have extended the excavation period to 12 months and increased the number of active digging points from one to 10 or 15, as seen in Ephesus. We’ve also increased the budgets of some sites by up to 20 times in foreign currency terms. This has nothing to do with speed but with thoroughness.”

Ersoy also announced that under the ‘Legacy to the Future’ project the pace of excavation is expected to increase, aiming to “accomplish as much archaeological work in the next four years as has been done in the past,” according to Türkiye Today.

“We set ambitious goals and had to make changes,” Ersoy stated.